


Crash Landing

by NavySailor



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Airplane Crashes, Crash Landing, Near Death, Other, Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-02-26 16:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 22,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18721144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NavySailor/pseuds/NavySailor
Summary: When a normal flight home after a rather bad case ends with the team landing in some treacherous circumstances will they all survive and go home?





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a long case to say the least, children being kidnapped and slaughtered was always hard. Rossi had been unusually quiet most of the case having his girls and his grandson now made him more of a worried parent on these cases. J.J. did her best to help him through it just by letting him know she was there to talk if he wanted. He was like a dad to her and really the whole team.

The were on the jet heading home now and with half the team passed out in one seat or another J.J. watched him intently. She knew every time they found a child too late he saw his grandson laying there instead. She knew it because she saw her boys in every failed case involving children.

It was raining hard outside the jet but their amazing pilots were still taking them home in it. Everything was alright, well until the jet started to shake that is…

“I hate turbulence…” Dave grumbled as his face lost a few shades of color.

“Oh come on it’s not that bad,” She prodded him.

Before Rossi’s sarcastic comeback even managed to leave his lips they were plummeting, the jet racing faster and faster towards the ground now. Everyone was wide awake now and panic was quickly setting in as the team realized they were going in for a crash landing.

“Buckle up now!” Dave and J.J. shouted as an explosion rocked the jet and sent it spiraling out of control. Rossi reached over the table and quickly buckled J.J. in and then they hit ground. The jet quickly became dismantled and ripped apart as it made contact with the hard ground. The had been over Indiana at the time and were now crashed somewhere in the forests at the southern border of the state. People where far and few between there, help would be a long way out...if it came at all that is.

Emily groaned as she opened her eyes “rough landing” she huffed out sarcastically. The team she had to find the team! Emily unbuckled herself and slide herself to the ground hissing in pain when she tried to put pressure on her leg. Damn it, probably broken, she thought as she limped her way over to who looked like Tara staring at the wreckage. She seemed to be in shock as blood streamed down her face.

“Tara?” Emily called but no response came from the woman. “Tara are you okay?” Emily asked as she finally stood in front of her. This seemed to finally snap her out of whatever dark place she was in.

“I think so? What about you?”

“I think my leg is broken,” Emily explained as she shifted her weight further off the mangled limb. Tara immediately went over to help her and wrapped her arm around the shorter woman.

“We need to find the others.” All Emily did in response was nod her head in agreement as the started walking.

 

Further into the forest J.J. woke up to Luke and Reid calling her name.

“J.J.?! Rossi?! Where are you?!” Luke called out.

“Here!” J.J. gasped as pain shot through her lungs. She felt like she couldn’t breath as a part of the plan crushed her.

“J.J.! We’re coming hang in there!” Reid shouted as they ran over. “Okay Jennifer Luke is going to try to lift this off you and I’m going to pull you out. I need you to hang on, okay?” Reid explained.

"Okay.” They did just that and as Reid quickly pulled her free she felt like breathing wasn’t such a struggle anymore although a few broken ribs weren’t great either, it was better. “You okay?” Luke asked her as he knelt down beside her.

“Ribs and a concussion. You guys?”

“Concussion and a broken ankle, plus I think my hand and wrist could possibly have fractures as well,” Luke explained.

“Concussion,and my arm and collarbone are broken,” Reid informed her.

“Have we found everyone?” She asked them in concern.

“We managed to located Emily and Tara earlier but they’re both in no condition to be going anywhere. I mean no one is but them less so right now. Emily passed out from the pain in her leg and Matt is trying to keep Tara awake. She has internal bleeding and a major concussion,” Reid told her as they got up.

“What about Dave?”

“We haven’t found him yet”

J.J.’s eyes went wide and she immediately took off searching with Luke and Reid in tow trying to get her to slow down. She rounded on them so fast they almost didn’t stop in time.

“We have to find him. We have to,” Jennifer pleaded with them as panic set in.

“J.J. we…” Luke trailed off as he spotted something on the ground. “Oh God.”

They all took off towards Dave a few yards away slumped against a tree, his grayish white hair matted with blood in spots. There was a large gash in his left side and a bone was visibly sticking out of his right leg. He looked barely alive, if he was alive at all that is.

“Dave?!” J.J. shouted as she got closer. The second she got to him she dropped to her knees and checked to see he was alive before putting pressure on the wound in his side. Thankfully he was alive but he wasn’t conscious and moving him could be dangerous.

“Reid do you think we could safely get him to the others?” Luke asked him.

“I don’t know. We may have to bring them to him. His leg has a compound fracture, his side is split wide open, he more than likely has a bad concussion, internal bleeding and his back could very well be broken.”

“Alright, Luke go get everyone and Reid help me get him somewhat patched up. We need to keep him alive,” J.J. said almost desperately.


	2. Chapter 2

A little while later and everyone was as settled in as possible in there current condition. Dave had been carefully laid down and was now being monitored by a fearful J.J., Emily was now awake and watching over the group from her spot near a twisted piece of what she thought might have been the wing of the jet, Tara was laying next to Matt who was managing to keep her awake with stories of his crazy kids, Luke and Reid, the least injured of them all were currently taking shifts scouting the area for clues as to what had happened and a way to escape the “wilderness”.

“I think we actually may have over shot Indiana by a few hundred miles. We’re either in Ohio or Kentucky right now. I can’t tell which but Indiana’s southern border doesn’t have miles of forest with no roads anywhere. On another note, both pilots were killed on impact it seems like we were hit by a bolt of lightning and it brought the whole jet down,” Reid told them as he emerged from his trek through the woods.

“It’s getting dark I want us to have one person on watch at all times. I’ll start and we can do it in two hour shifts,” Emily explained as she rested the gun, Matt had managed to find in the crash, across her lap. “Matt I’ll wake you up for your shift. Then J.J., Luke and finally Reid.”

“Good idea, we’ll need someone to stand guard, watch for possible rescue and make sure that Tara and Dave don’t get worse…” Reid trailed off as he looked at Rossi. The older man was still unconscious and even Spencer knew that if help didn’t get here soon he wouldn’t survive much longer. Hopefully by now their presence has been missed and Penelope is looking for them or some one at least saw the plane going down.

Reid’s hopes weren’t just hopes though because about thirty miles away from the crash sight was Fort Knox, Army Training Facility where a few hundred Soldiers watched the plane go down. The second the damaged jet had been spotted units for search and rescue were mobilized and now it was only a matter of time.

Meanwhile at FBI Headquarters, Garcia was currently freaking out while trying to get a last known location on her families whereabouts. Cruze on the other hand was coordinating with air traffic control to get her access to the jet’s black box. It was a madhouse the second Penelope sounded the alarm with agents working round the clock to find the infamous team of profiliers. They all just wanted to find them alive but everyone knew that that possibility lessened with every passing second.

The crash was all over the news and so was the fact that it was the BAU in that jet. Krystall had immediately called Penelope in a panic about if David was okay. She couldn’t stop crying and Portia was across the country along with Joy. So she sat in their home on the couch crying as she watched the news for any hope that the love of her life was okay.

Will, Lisa, and Andrew were all having very similar experiences as they waited to find out if they were okay, safe and alive.

A little over six hundred miles away, J.J. woke up to the sun peeking in through the trees and sat up to see Reid crying next to Dave. Her stomach dropped as she rushed over to her friend and mentor.

“Dave?” J.J. said almost tentatively as she reached out and brushed her fingers across his face. He was cold, so cold, it didn’t look like Dave and it didn’t feel like him either when she touched his hand as well. “No” way the only other word she could get out before waves of tears streamed down her face as she buried it in his chest.

By this point the rest of the team, with the exception of Tara who wasn’t far behind Rossi at this point, were up. As soon as they realized what was going on it went deadly quiet the only sound they heard was that of a helo in the distance.

Emily was the first to acknowledge this, but at the same time she knew that it had been too late, that helo, if it did somehow manage to find them, was too damn late to help Dave. Oh Joy, Portia, Krystall and Kia would be devastated and Emily didn’t know if she could handle telling them. They were trying their best out here but with the way things had been going she had a bad feeling Tara wouldn’t make it out of the woods as well.

The next few hours the team mourned and did everything they could to signal the chopper as it flew overhead but nothing seemed to work. The had moved to a thick set of trees away from the wreckage because a.) that’s where Dave was and b.) if anything blew up or it started to rain they would be safe. Only problem with that plan was that it made it hard for rescuers to find them.

While that was going on J.J. and Reid found a tattered blanket and placed it over their friend’s body. He had died from his various injuries that night. The full chronicle of which were a compound fracture in the right leg, a laceration across his left side, a broken collar bone, broken ribs, a broken back, one partially punctured lung, internal bleeding, a massive head wound and several broken bones in his hand and arms. Why were his injuries worse than all the others… because he never got the chance to put on his seat belt. Rossi had buckled J.J.’s and immediately after... the jet started to barrel roll throwing him around the cabin. Reid informed the team that he had been surprised that the older profiler had survived this long with his injuries let alone the crash itself. In all reality David should have died on impact which made it much worse because it meant he had died in possibly agonizing pain for hours and they couldn’t have helped him.

Tara was deathly pale now, barely awake and barely breathing. Matt was doing his best but without medical attention there was nothing he could really do.

“I’m going to go back to the crash and see if I can find and more first aid kits or even water at this point,” Luke said unable to stick around as his best friend died. He needed to do something productive as they waited and he had already lost Rossi, he didn’t want to lose Tara as well.

Emily sighed as she walked over to where Reid and J.J. were next to Dave’s body. They hadn’t left his side since he had succumb to his injuries and Emily couldn’t blame them. He had been like everyone’s dad, he had been her mentor and confidant and God she missed him. Emily teared up as she sat down quietly next to Reid, one hand placed on Dave’s chest almost hoping to feel him breathing. He wasn’t though and despite that Emily couldn’t help but expect him to sit up and start lecturing them about just sitting around waiting instead of actively seeking help.

“Dave I could really use your help right now,” Emily said as her voice broke and she began crying hugging his lifeless body at an awkward angle. She didn’t care though and so she continued to cry and mourn the loss of her friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Tara was slowly losing her battle to stay alive and at this point was in so much pain they weren’t sure they wanted her to keep fighting. Like Dave she was in excruciating pain from internal bleeding and with it going on six hours since the crash… nobody thought she would make it much longer. Matt never left Tara’s side so that if she did die, it wouldn’t be alone.

Reid, the genius he is, hand managed to stabilize Emily’s leg in a makeshift cast made out of parts from the jet. He was now out trying to do the same thing for his arm and Luke’s ankle and hand. Only time would tell if he was successful.

J.J. was the quietest among them, her and Rossi had been extremely close, like father and daughter. She refused to leave his side and so now she was laying on the ground with her head resting on his chest and tears running down her face every once in awhile. Luke could hear her whisper that she still needed him and that the boy’s needed their uncle Dave still. Some moments she’d beg him to come back and others she would just quietly cry to herself. No one disturbed her because they all understood how broken she was feeling. I didn’t help that she also felt guilty that he died because he hadn’t had time to put his seat belt on because she had been too distracted to put on her own. She felt like it was her fault Dave had died, that he wouldn’t have been as hurt if she had just put the stupid seat belt on herself.

Emily stood as she heard another helo pass over the crash sight. The air traffic was getting increasingly heavy, raising their hopes that help was close. She wobbled over to J.J. and silently beckoned her friend to follow her.

J.J. stood with extreme reluctance not wanting to leave Rossi here alone.

“Don’t worry, Matt’s here. He won’t let anything happen to Dave,” Emily soothed her fears quickly.

They walked out into the woods in the opposite direction of the crash knowing they booth needed a little break from the scene they were forced to see. J.J. walked alongside Emily as a sort of crutch for the Unit Chief.

“You know Dave’s death isn’t your fault right? He would’ve checked your seat belt if it was buckled or not. You were like his daughter and he always would have put your well being before his own.”

J.J. remained silently hating herself as Emily spoke, no kind words would bring him back. He wasn’t just like a dad to her but to the entire team, they were all just handling the loss differently. Matt had increased his focus on Tara, Luke and Reid had doubled their efforts in looking for help and supplies to the point where it was starting to look like a makeshift camp ground, and Emily was just trying to help everyone else through it and locking her emotions away. Dave had been her confidant and now that he was gone she didn’t have that anymore.

Meanwhile, back at Quantico, the Section Chief was on the phone with the Army National Guard who believed one of their choppers may have spotted the wreckage. It was a huge break and one that got Penelope squealing when she heard it. The brightly colored woman insisted on going with Cruz to the possible crash sight to help look for her friends.

The flight to the base was about two hours but soon they were speaking with the head of the search team.

“Have you found them yet?!” Penelope immediately asked the second see spotted the man in charge.

“Not yet ma’am but we seem to have finally found the crash sight and we’re hopeful you team won’t be to far behind.”

“I hope they’re okay. They’ll be okay right sir?” Penelope turned to Cruz for reassurance.

“I’m sure they’re fine Penelope. They’re the strongest group of people I know.”

Garcia gave him a weak smile but accepted his answer for now as hope was all she had left at this point.

About thirty miles East of their location, the team was struggling. Minor infections were starting to take root and hope...well, it was dwindling.

“It’s okay Tara, it’s okay to let go,” Matt whispered to her tearfully.

She had been struggling more and more every passing hour and everyone knew it was probably too late now for any medical attention to really help her. They had all collectively decided to give Tara some quiet with only Emily left at their little camp to guard Dave’s body. She had promised J.J. that she wouldn’t leave his side while Reid and Luke took her for another walk. Emily thought it had been a good idea mostly because the more time the blond woman spent around his body the more morose she seemed to get.

Emily silently looked down at Rossi’s relaxed face with sadness. He was so pale now, his dark brown eyes having long since been shut by Reid so that he now seemed to almost be sleeping. He seemed so at peace like this, almost like the rest of the world could no longer touch him. His nightmares and memories could no longer plague his thoughts with worry and regret. She continued to scan him, the blanket having been given to Tara a few hours ago to keep her warm. He wore a navy blue dress shirt, blue jeans and his favorite pair of Italian leather boots. His shirt was torn with dry blood staining it, his jeans ripped with just the slightest hint of a bone sticking through, and his boot were caked in the mud that still coated the ground.

Emily looked up as Matt approached her, the look in his eyes telling her everything she needed to know. They had lost yet another friend in this crash and help had yet to arrive. The only thing that Emily could think was why them, and why now. Her only solace being that neither where in pain now and both where hopefully in a better place.

Back at the Army base, a plan was being formed on how to approach and begin rescue operations at the crash sight. This was a large expanse of forest and getting in and out safely would be difficult. They would have to travel on the ground because the helo had not long ago reported no place to land even remotely close to where the rescue needed to take place. They needed to move fast though so with their plan finally decided, they began the search.


	4. Chapter 4

" _Jennifer."_

_A voice called out and she looked up to see Dave standing in here office doorway. He seemed fine and was smiling at her. She almost broke down right there thinking maybe it had all just been a bad dream. He was alive which meant Tara was alive too, and ladies nights were definitely going to be scheduled as soon as possible._

" _Emily sent me in here to come get you. We're all going out for drinks on me," Dave told her._

_J.J. shot up out of her chair and bear hugged Rossi, who after a moment of surprise hugged her right back. She pulled away and looked up at the man sheepishly._

" _What was that for?"_

" _Bad dream, long story short you died," J.J. gave him a sad smile._

" _Well I can assure you that in that dream I am in a better place. Now how about those drinks with the team!"_

"J.J.! J.J. wake up!"

She groaned in pain and discomfort, it was just a dream...they were both really gone. That thought struck her like a bolt of lightning and my god did it hurt.

"Hey, J.J. we can hear vehicles approaching," the same voice prodded as she slowly sat up from her place near where they had moved Dave and Tara's bodies.

She looked up to see it was Matt who had woken her up from the wonderful and yet painful dream she had had. She just wished it had been real, wished they had both still been alive. J.J. just wished everyone was home now with their families, happy, healthy, and alive.

"J.J. come on, we need to go head them off and get help," Matt insisted.

"We can't leave them though," she whispered as she stared past Matt unable to look him in the eye.

"Don't worry, okay? Nothing is going to happen to them. Everything will be alright," Simmons tried to reassure her.

"No it won't! They're dead! Rossi is dead! Tara is dead! They left!" J.J. stood and shouted at him as tears streamed down her face. "Why did they have to leave...why? I still needed them. Matt… we all still needed them," she trailed off as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don't know why they were taken from us J.J. and I won't tell you the pain will ever go away because it won't but I can tell you that they would want us to try to get out of here and go home."

"Matt," her voice cracked as she pleaded with him.

"How do you think Rossi feels seeing you like this. It's probably breaking his heart up there J.J."

"I can't do this without him," she cried.

"Yes you can. He wouldn't have let go had he thought you weren't capable of doing just that."

J.J. nodded her head before taking a deep breath and stepping away.

"Alright, let's go. We have a vehicle or two to track down."

Driving across the vast expanse of forest and being lead to the crash site by a helo overhead, Penelope and Cruz kept their eyes peeled for their friends. They almost flew into the seat in front of them though when the driver slammed on his breaks.

Penelope immediately looked back out the window to see four people standing near by. Without even thinking she jumped out of the truck and sprinted across the ground almost tackling Reid when she hugged him.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You're okay! Of course you're all okay, I mean you're you guys!" Penelope stopped herself and re counted her friends. "Where are Emily, Rossi, and Tara?"

"Emily's leg is broken so she decided to stay back," Luke quickly jumped in.

"What about Rossi and Tara?" Garcia asked as Cruz now approached with a medical team on his heels.

"Emily's watching over them right now. Come on, we should probably take you guys to her," Matt explained.

As they got closer to the makeshift campsite, the team could make out three people, two of which laid unmoving on the ground. No one could stop Garcia from taking off towards them and watched as she stopped dead in her tracks the second she realized Rossi and Tara were dead. The medics rushed forward but after a few second and a few shakes of their heads they moved on to trying to help Emily.

Not much later and the team were packed into trucks on their way to Fort Knox before flying back home to Quantico. The bodies would be put on a separate flight that was to arrive and hour after they did. For there the team would head to the hospital while both of their fallen friends were taken to the morgue for an autopsy. An investigation was to be opened on what happened but the team would be allowed to go home after statements were taken and they were cleared by the hospital.

It had been a hard three days for everyone but they were going home and at least they had that. Now they only thing left to do was let the families know who hadn't made it and that was probably the hardest thing Cruz would ever have to do.

Rossi and Krystall had just gotten married and now he had to tell her that the love of her life was gone. He was gone not because of an unsub, that they know of, but because of some freak weather and a plane crash. He would also have to tell Tara's brother and father, two relationships that had finally been repaired. He had to tell her father that his daughter wasn't coming home and her brother that he'd never get to see his sister again.

The team...the team he was sure would probably never truly recover from this. And honestly he couldn't blame them, had a feeling he'd need to fill in spots as they slowly decided that it wasn't worth it anymore and left. He couldn't blame them but he would miss them. He would miss the wonderful family like feeling that came with seeing them together. He would miss the smiles on all their faces because he had a feeling they would be few and far between after everything that has happened. Cruz had seen this team down after losing a team member but never before had they lost two at once. Their recovery not only physically but mentally would be the biggest fight they've ever been in.


	5. Chapter 5

With Emily on crutches beside him, she had insisted that as the unit chief she was obligated to inform both families, he knocked on the mansion door. There was a long pause, some shuffling and finally the door opened to reveal the tear stained and stressed face of Krystall Ann Rossi.

"Krystall, can we talk?," Emily asked the woman.

She didn't say a word as she quietly let them in and lead them to the living room. She sat in the chair and watched as Emily and Cruz took the couch.

"Is he okay?" She asked with what hope she had left shining through.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Rossi," was all Cruz got out before the woman broke down crying.

"What am I going to tell Joy and Portia? What am I going to tell Kai?" She cried out as sobs began to take over.

Emily quickly hobbled over and sat on the arm of the chair rubbing her back in circles trying to calm her down.

"I'm so sorry," Emily asked her softly.

"I'm sorry too. The team was family to him and after meeting everyone...you're like family to me too," she sniffled. She felt numb, like she couldn't believe what they had told her. David couldn't be gone, he had just called her three days ago to let her know he was coming home. He had said he loved her and he'd take her to dinner when he got back. She immediately knew it had been a bad case and had instead planned to drag him to bed and just hold him in her arms. She knew he wouldn't tell her everything but sometimes just her holding him seemed to help as much as talking did. She couldn't do that now though but at least he died knowing how much she loved him.

"When can I see him?" Krystall asked Emily almost pleadingly.

"You don't want to do that Krystall. Trust me when I say that you don't want to see him like that," Emily tried to persuade her.

"I just...I need to know for sure," she explained.

"I'm sure we can have Reid come by later to take you to him," Emily told her but hesitated a moment. "I hope you know Dave loved you very much and he had been so excited to go home. It had been a bad case but I noticed that after seeing you when we're done with cases like those, he seemed happier and maybe even a little less haunted."

Krystall didn't say anything, just nodded sadly in agreement.

Emily and Cruz stayed for a bit longer but then had to leave to inform Tara's family. Krystall just sat in the same chair staring at her phone and trying to work up the courage to call Joy. After a few minutes she dialed the number and listened to it ring.

"Hello," the cheerful young woman on the other side answered.

"Joy, is Shawn with you right now?"

"Yes...why?"

"Are you at home?"

"Yes, Krystall what is this about?"

"Please Joy. Is Kai in the same room right now?" She pleaded as he voice cracked with emotion.

"No, he's at a friends house. Is dad alright?!" Joy asked becoming increasingly panicked.

"Joy, there was an accident, the jet crashed on the way home from a case. He's gone," Krystall got out before sobbing.

Joy dropped the phone as Shawn came over and hugged her now concerned.

"What happened Joy?"

"He's gone. The jet crashed and he didn't make it," she said feeling numb now. She couldn't believe that he was gone, he couldn't be gone could he? She still needed him and Kai still needed his grandpa. How was she going to tell Kai that he was gone?

Shawn didn't say a word and just held her tighter as she cried.

Not far away Portia's phone started to ring as she picked it up she saw it was her mom.

"Hey mom, what's up?"

"Portia," Krystall's emotion dragged voice filtered through.

"What's wrong? Did Dave do something stupid?"

"No Portia, he didn't," Krystall sighed as she tried to calm down a bit.

"Then why…" She didn't get to finish as she heard more crying over the phone.

"There was a plane crash on there way home from a case. He didn't survive."

Tears now stung her face at the thought that David was gone, she loved him. He was like a second dad to her and he always treated her mom like she was the only woman in the world. He'd do anything for her except maybe come back to life.

Back at the Struthers household Joy was panicking on how to tell Kai what was going on.

"Joy, he's a smart kid. We'll just sit him down and explain to him what's going on," and with that the doorbell rang. Shawn sighed and left to answer it, a few moments later and Kai came running through the house wrapping Joy in a hug.

"He there, did you have fun at your sleepover?" she asked as she put on a fake smile.

"Yes! Are you okay mommy?"

"Come here Kai daddy and I need to talk to you about grandpa," Joy picked him up and brought him into the living room.

"When can I see grandpa again?"

"Kai grandpa is up with the angels now," Joy got out through a watery smile.

"Why did he go there?" Kai asked as he was now confused as to why his grandpa would go away.

"His airplane crashed on his way home and he didn't make it buddy. He died," Joy tried to explain but the second she finished she wrapped him in a hug as he broke down crying.

"Why'd grandpa go?" he asked through all his tears.

"Oh buddy, he didn't want to go I promise you that he would never want to leave you ever," Joy reassured her son as she held him closer. "Grandpa loved you so much."


	6. Chapter 6

" _Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day...unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed, and very dear." ~ Unknown_

The funerals happened only a day apart, so that people wouldn't have to fly out twice although honestly everyone would have without a second thought.

Tara was buried in Oakwood Cemetery and it was friends and family only. The FBI had come out in full force and she was given a proper burial. Tara's father and brother stood silently and were eventually the last to leave the funeral with tears to come later.

Dave was buried in Virginia Veterans Cemetery where the Marines proudly gave the Retired Sergeant Major a military funeral with full honors. The funeral itself was friends and family only but the viewing before hand was open to the public. The famed author, war hero, and profiler drew in a crowd of people who had worked with him, been friends with him or just admired him (one author to another).

"How's the investigation into the crash going?" Emily asked as she hobbled into Cruz's office at 0400. It had been about a month now since the crash and the investigation was still ongoing as to whether it was the weather or a murder attempt/ terrorist attack.

"Still ongoing, although it's looking less and less like an accident. Which I found strange because no terrorist organizations have taken credit for it yet. Although they have started to look into your past cases so we'll see where that you think of anyone who might want to do this?"

"That list is a mile long and just as wide," Emily responded.

"It is, isn't it."

"Yes it is."

Emily went home later that night and sat on the couch with Sergio sleeping on her lap. It had been a rough month to begin with but the crippling grief from losing not only Tara but Dave as well was getting to her. Everyone kept asking if she was alright but if she was honest...she was more worried about how J.J. and Reid were handling it all. The two of them didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to handling loss of any kind.

Emily fell asleep after a few minutes with Sergio now awake and keeping watch over her.

_There was a knock at the door and Emily woke up to it quite startled. Who could possibly be awake at 0224 in the morning on a Wednesday of all days. The knocking became more persistent, almost urgent and Emily rushed to the door as fast as possible with crutches. She yanked the door open and there was Rossi looking quite frantic with Tara by his side._

" _Emily," Dave whispered urgently._

_Why was he whispering? How was he alive? How were they both alive?!_

" _Emily wake up."_

_Well that was weird...why was Rossi telling her to wake up? Unless…_

"Emily wake up please," a familiar and almost haunting voice pleaded with her through her front door.

"There's no way…" she whispered to herself. Emily stood, grabbed her crutches and made her was to the door.

"Emily please let me in," the voice pleaded again as they softly cried.

She slowly opened her door and stood in complete shock at what she was seeing currently.

On the other side of the door stood one David Stephen Rossi, caked in mud, with ripped clothes but otherwise unharmed by the jet crashing. Oh and very much alive.

"Dave?"

"Thank god," he said as relief flooded his system. He was exhausted, dirty and confused but on top of it all he couldn't remember anything from the last month or so which scared him.

"How," Emily barely got out before breaking down in tears and practically tackle hugging the man before her.

"Emily I need help," He tried explaining but quickly realized he wasn't getting any answers till she calmed down some more.

"You were dead, I saw you. I know you were dead," she cried out, extremely confused herself. "What about Tara?!" she asked as she suddenly pulled away from him.

"I don't know and I can't remember anything from the last month," Dave quickly explained.

"What's the last thing you remember Rossi?"

"I remember us taking down the unsub, going back to the precinct and calling Krystall to let her know we were coming home but it's just black after that…" he trailed off.

Emily motioned for him to sit on the couch with her and Sergio purred as Dave gently pet him.

"Dave after that we all piled into the jet, you and J.J. were upfront, Tara and I were in the back, Luke and Reid were on the couch across from me and Matt was on the one across from you. Dave the jet crashed midway through our flight home… Seemed like a freak storm did it at the time but now it just looks like cleaver timing. When we crashed everyone was hurt but you were unconscious and barely alive when we found you and Tara wasn't far behind…" Emily explained to him. "Dave you died, you and Tara both died from your injuries. I personally was there when you passed away, hell J.J. refused to leave your body after. Rossi we buried you six feet deep last month."

Rossi didn't even have the words to express the storm of thoughts running through his head in that moment.

"Dave you were dead," Emily repeated.

"I guess it didn't stick," he half heartedly joked before his expression became grave. "What am I going to do Emily?"

"I don't know Rossi but we're going to figure it out. The team's going to help figure it out."

" _They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later, when somebody says your name for the last time." ~ Banksy_


	7. Chapter 7

" _Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand." ~ Neil Armstrong_

Luke sat in his apartment with Roxie's head on his lap contemplating his choices. Wondering why he had taken Rossi up on his offer when he asked him to join the BAU three years ago. It had all seemed so simple back then but now… now he was mourning the loss of his best friend. She still appeared in his dreams so times and lately they seemed more and more real. Almost as if she was coming back to life slowly. Luke stopped himself and his train of thought immediately thinking it was stupid because people don't come back to life.

"She's gone Roxie," he whispered to the dog who gave a small whimper in response.

Cruz had updated the team yesterday that the crash was looking more like a terrorist attack or attempted mass murder than an accident. Some jagoff, as Rossi so fondly would have called him, timed a bomb to go off right in the middle of the storm so it would look like and seem like the jet had been hit by lightning. Now it was just a matter of who and why but the sad part was that no one protested when Cruz told them B team would take lead on the investigation. Hell Emily hadn't even shown up much less called to tell them why.

"Speak of the devil…" Luke muttered as he before answering his phone. "Hello?"

"Luke I need you, and everyone else to meet me at my apartment right now!"

"What? Why? Are you okay?!" He panicked slightly at her tone.

"Just get here now!" she told him before the line went dead.

Luke shot out of his seat grabbing Roxie's leash and took off towards the door just as someone knocked. He swong the door open and froze with Roxie barking at his side. A cold chill of pure fear and wonderment went down his spine as he stared at the person in front of him.

"Tara?"

"Luke, thank god! Is everyone okay? What happened?" she spurted out one question after another.

"You're dead. I'm delusional because you're dead. You died. I saw you die. I helped bury you," Luke said as he started to back away.

"Luke I don't know what's going on please just tell me what happened," Tarar pleaded as she began to panic herself. She died? When did she die? This has to be some sick joke she thought to herself.

"We finished up a case last month, got on the jet and headed home but there was a storm and we were hit but lightning or we thought we were, turns out it was just a well timed and well hidden bomb. The jet went down, Rossi was hurt bad he didn't make it through the night and you...we lost you not long after. We were rescued by the Army National Guard three days after the crash and then buried you not long after that."

"What? Is everyone else okay?"

"Emily is still on crutches and well no one skated on the nightmares but besides you and Rossi everyone recovered. J.J. well she left the BAU a week after the crash, and I can't say I blame her honestly. Especially now that we know it wasn't an accident."

"How am I alive Luke?" Tara asked him now just as worried about that reason as he was.

"I don't know but Emily just called an emergency group meeting and if what I now think is her reason is actually her reason. I don't think you're the only one who's alive again," Luke told her as they headed for the door only to stop. She was covered in mud and a little scraped up from the looks of it so he stopped. "The meeting can wait a moment. Are  _you_  okay? I never even stopped to ask that."

"I'm alright I just feel gross but that's nothing a hot shower and new cloths can't fix," she told him.

"Roxie and I can drop by your place and pick you up cloths and you can use my shower while we're gone," Luke offered.

"No we should get to the meeting."

"Tara you just came back from the dead, go shower and I'll be back in thiry with your cloths," Luke insisted.

"Thank you."

"Always," was his only response before he left for her place.

An hour later and they were pulling up to Emily's apartment both extremely nervous about what was going to happen. Luke let Roxie out of the car and they all made their way up the stairs to Emily's door. Tara knocked and the hushed voices beyond it ceased as someone opened the door.

"Luke and… Tara!" Emily immediately enveloped the woman in a bone crushing hug. "Wow you look way better than Dave does right now…"

Tara peared in the room to see Rossi passed out from exhaustion on Emily's couch still covered in mud and in a ripped shirt and jeans.

"Is he okay?" Luke asked as they entered the room and the entire team, J.J. included, exchanged hugs.

"Yea he's just extremely tired. Apparently coming back from the dead takes it out of you," J.J. told him as she smiled over in Rossi's direction a little relieved that he was indeed okay.

"You look better than he does Tara," Emily commented.

"Luke let me shower and change before we came over otherwise I would have looked just as bad."

Penelope quickly hugged her again "Sorry I just can't believe your both okay."

"Trust me Penelope, hugs are always welcome."

"Now we just need to figure out what's going on," Reid said as he looked at Dave and Tara. "This is physically impossible so how is it possible?"

"I don't know but I think we're still waiting on one more person to get here," Emily stopped Reid.

"Who?" Matt asked.

"Krystall. Dave wanted to see her and honestly he's been having nightmares every other hour so maybe it would help."

The entire team nodded in agreement on that one and so they waited.

" _Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what." ~Unknown_


	8. Chapter 8

" _What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us." ~ Helen Keller_

The team sat in various places around the room as they waited for Krystall to arrive. Rossi started to fidget of the couch again before a short sort of sob escaped him that caught everyone's attention. The poor man was now crying in his sleep, his face a mask of pain and sorrow. Emily was just about to go wake him up when someone knocked on the door. She gave Reid a look that said to keep an eye on him as he became more restless.

Emily opened the door to Krystall looking small, scared and confused as to why she was summoned here with her late husband's clothes and shower things. It only took a moment for her to spot him and everything to hit the floor as she looked on in shock. Krystall ran over to him but stopped when she realized what was happening. Slowly she knelt next to the man she loved and brushed her fingers through his silver hair.

"Shhhh David, I'm here. It's okay, you're okay. Wake up David. Wake up," She whispered to him calmly and watched as his body still and his eyes slowly opened. Fresh tears sprang from both their eyes as he shot up and pulled her into a hug afraid to ever let her go again.

"I- I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, it's okay. Just breath. You don't have to be sorry for anything. I've got you," she whispered to him.

"I was so scared that I had lost you," he confessed as her cried into her shoulder.

"I thought I had lost you forever David, but you're okay. Lord only knows how but you are and I'll count my blessings every day for that."

She didn't ever want to let him go again but he needed a shower and to change and then rest. Tara might have been okay but Dave wasn't as young and therefore this whole ordeal had visibly taken its toll on him.

"Come on, let's get you washed up and in bed. You look like you were rolling in the mud," She teased him slightly.

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed without protest. Luke had to come help him up and then also become his human crutch to the bathroom while Krystall gathered his things to shower.

"He's in there and I don't know about you but I don't think he can stand on his own. Do you need help?" Luke asked Krystall.

"I know and that's alright. I'll let him keep his pride for now and help him myself."

"He can stay in my room. I don't think it would be good to try and move him tonight," Emily offered as Krystall got ready to go help David.

"Thank you."

"Let us know if you need anything please," Emily told her as she made her was to her husband.

"I will don't you worry," she threw them a small smile as she disappeared out of sight.

"Is he okay?" Tara asked the question they were all thinking.

"I think his body is just as confused about it all as we are. Rossi is sixty three now versus your forty eight years. His body can't handle drastic change nearly as well let alone coming back from the dead. All his organs had to have healed, his bones healed, and all his cells had to regenerate for this to happen. That's a shock and energy zapper for anyone let alone an older man who happened to die of severe injuries," Reid explained.

"What kind of injuries?"

"He had died from his various injuries that night. The full chronicle of which were a compound fracture in the right leg, a laceration across his left side, a broken collar bone, broken ribs, a broken back, one partially punctured lung, internal bleeding, a massive head wound and several broken bones in his hand and arms. His injuries worse than everyone else's because he never got the chance to put on his seat belt. Rossi had buckled J.J.'s and immediately after... the jet started to barrel roll throwing him around the cabin. He never really stood a chance and you had severe internal bleeding and a nasty head wound that might have killed you anyway."

"How are we still alive?"

"That's the million dollar question now isn't it," Emily stated. "You both died and we all know you did because we saw it first hand and buried you. Both of you had open casket viewings. There was no way you were alive, so how are you now?"

"Reid is there any earthly thing that could have caused this? Some lesser known scientific discovery that the world seemed to miss?" Matt asked the young genius.

"No I mean something that significant wouldn't go unnoticed. The world would know about it."

"Well they don't know now and we'll keep it that way for as long as possible. Tara and Dave don't need to become some scientist's lab rat," Emily warned. The whole team nodded in agreement.

In the other room twenty minutes later Krystall helped Dave to bed almost carrying him at this point in his exhaustion.

"I'm sorry Krystall," he whispered when he had finally been able to lay down.

"Don't you dare David. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad I have you back."

"I love you."

"To the moon and back sweet man...to the moon and back," she told him before giving him a light kiss and going to change for bed herself. She had brought an extra pair of her own clothes just in case this meeting lasted longer than expected. At this point she just wanted to hold him in her arms and protect him from the nightmares that were sure to come. When she had finished and walked back in the room he was fast asleep, his face was relaxed which would have scared her if it wasn't for the fact that he was visibly breathing. Krystall crawled into bed next to Dave and gently wrapped him up in her embrace as she too drifted off to sleep for the night. No nightmares came that night and both slept peacefully for the first time since the crash.

The rest of the team agreed to a sort of sleep over with blow up mattress' and sleeping bags being retrieved from everyone's respective homes. Emily took the couch as it was her home, Matt and Luke shared a blow up mattress, J.J. and Garcia did the same, while Reid and Tara chose to take a sleeping bag on the floor. Lucky for all, it was quiet night although it was a small mercy everyone knew it wouldn't happen often. Nightmares were apart of everyday life for them and even more so in the last month or so.

" _Of all the things you choose in life, you don't get to choose what your nightmares are. You don't pick them; they pick you." ~ John Irving_


	9. Chapter 9

" _In Family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche_

The team woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast and looked up to see Dave and Krystall making just that. It was a beautiful sight really, the two of them making breakfast together and sharing sweet words every now and then. They all couldn't help but smile as they watched unnoticed by the older couple. It reminded them of those weekends you would come downstairs to the smell of bacon and watch your parents make breakfast for you. The team watched as Rossi pulled Krystall into a hug and rested his chin on her head.

"I don't know what I would have done without you," he whispered to try and not wake the team.

"Oh David, you have no idea how much I missed you every day you were gone," she returned softly. "I think the kids have found us out though," she alerted him with a smile as she spotted several pairs of eyes now looking very guilty.

"Well bacon could wake up even the deepest sleeper cara," he told her simply as he kissed her forehead softly before turning back to the pancakes and flipping them.

"Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and coffee are almost done so if you need to do something, do it now because breakfast is almost done."

Everyone nodded enthusiastically as Matt took off for the bathroom first Penelope and Reid sat together on the floor chatting about the latest Doctor Who. Luke and Tara had grabbed clothes and gone to the two separate bedrooms in Emily's apartment. Emily and J.J. on the other hand sat at the island waiting for coffee because both knew they were  _not_  functional human beings without it. Rossi just smirked and placed two cups of just what they needed in front of them and both took it happily.

"Are we expecting anyone else or was Krystall the only one left?" Dave asked as he began placing the food on plates for everyone.

"Tara's family will be here today, they had to fly up but otherwise not today," Emily informed him as she took a long drink of her coffee and sighed. It was just how she liked it and if she were to bet she would probably guess that J.J.'s was as well.

Everyone sat around to eat their breakfast and shortly before noon there was a knock at the door. Rossi was already in the bedroom sleeping, the morning had been tiring for him as he was still recovering from what ever had brought him back from the dead, so Tara moved out of view from the door in case it wasn't who they assumed it was.

Emily answered the door with a crutch under one arm and let Tara's father and brother in the room. Both men froze in place at the sight of her standing there very much alive and well.

"Tara?" her dad asked in disbelief and all she got out was a nod before he had her in a crushing embrace. Her brother however just stood there looking almost pissed off.

"Is this some kind of sick joke? Wasn't it enough when that guy replaced me with a "look-a-like"?!" her brother fumed.

"Gabriel, no this is her. I promise you it is. We don't know how this happened but I can assure you it's Tara. Rossi is in the other room with his wife somehow still alive as well. We don't know what's going on but they're both back," Emily intervened.

"This is a sick joke," he snarled as he stormed out of the apartment. Albert Lewis remained though as he stared at his daughter.

"A father knows his daughter and you are more than definitely mine," he reassured her. "Don't worry about your brother. I'll talk to him."

"No dad, I'll talk to him."

Tara made her way out of the apartment after her brother hoping he hadn't gotten too far away. She knew he wouldn't leave her father but he also wouldn't stick around too close.

"I think I need to sit down," Mr. Lewis said before collapsing on the couch.

"Can I get you coffee or maybe water?" Emily asked the poor man.

"No that's alright. How much longer are you on the crutches for?"

"One more week. At this point they're just an inconvenience," Emily said as she too plopped down on the couch.

"How's the old man doing?" Mr. Lewis inquired.

"Resting, for some reason this has been a lot harder on his body. Krystall hasn't left his side though and I'm sure that's been comforting for him."

"Well at least you have them both back."

"Yes we do and you have Tara back as well. We don't know why they're back but thankfully they are."

Krystall walked out of the bedroom with a small smile as she approached them.

"How is he?" Mr. Lewis asked her.

"He's better than he was yesterday and I'm just grateful that he's back and alive at this point. I'm trying to keep an eye on him though, he's starting to have nightmares again."

"Does he remember what about?" Emily asked her with a bit of urgency.

"So far it's just bits and pieces from the crash. He remembers the moment the plane rolled and he was thrown from his seat hitting a wall, he remembers getting a glimpse of J.J. trapped under a part of the plane as he dragged himself away from the wreckage. He told me he remembered it being hard to breath, like someone had sucked the air out of him. He remembered sitting up against a tree and feeling panicked because he couldn't feel anything below his waist. After that he would wake up or I would end up waking him up."

"You should get some sleep," Emily suggested.

"I'll sleep when you can tell me without a shadow of a doubt that I will not lose him again. At least not any time soon," she sighed. "Until then...I'm spending every possible moment with him that I can." With that she turned and went back to the bedroom. Dave's hair was a bit of a mess from tossing and turning she could tell. Krystall ran her fingers through it before stroking his cheek and feeling the warmth of his skin telling her he was alive. Joy and Portia would be getting here tomorrow, and she only hoped they would take this as well as possible.

" _You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry someone you can't live without." ~ Unknown_


	10. Chapter 10

"There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more."

~ Robert M. Hensel

It was the first thing they all noticed that morning. Their phones were blowing up and the news was on every channel but it wasn't screaming terrorist attack or politics like it normally did. It spoke of family members coming back from the dead and not famous people but normal everyday folks. The news was treating them like a fascinating bug to inspect as crews surrounded the poor families homes. Scientists and doctors were flying into Virginia from all over the world and it left the team scared.

"I won't let them take David away just to be poked and prodded at," Krystall told the room defiantly as she gave David a worried glance.

"Over my dead body will someone do that to Tara," Mr. Lewis stated. Her brother had yet to be persuaded but they all had a feeling he would be now.

"No one will be harming them," Matt calmed both concerned family members.

"What time was Joy supposed to get here and Portia?" Dave rasped as his eyes opened from where he had been napping on the couch. He was slowly getting better, not being as tired or feeling as ill as he had before. It was improvement that caused Krystall and everyone else to sigh in relief. For a moment they had almost been afraid to lose him again and Krystall hadn't left his side. It was a sight that brought soft smiles to everyone's faces whenever she would brush his hair out of his face and kiss him on the head as he slept.

The team in the meantime kept an eye on Tara to make sure she wasn't trying to hide what had obviously taken a toll on Dave. She seemed fine but to ease the team and her father's worries she took it easy the first two days back. Unlike Dave though Tara wasn't recovering memories which she thought strange but not enough to be too concerned.

Someone knocked at the door and it snapped Emily out of her daze as she had watched the news stories. Immediately she got up and basically saying screw it walked to the door without her crutch. On the other side of the door was a nervous looking Joy and Portia.

"Is he okay?" Joy asked as soon as she got in the apartment.

"How.." Joy cut her off though.

"It's all over the news and it's the only reason I can think you would call me to come here from California."

"He's fine just tired. Krystall is with him in the bedroom. He's resting but you can go see him if you'd like," Emily told both woman who immediately began their walk to the room.

Joy and Portia quietly pushed open the bedroom door and both almost broke down at the sight before them. Dave lay asleep in bed with his hair all messy as Krystall sat in a chair nearby ready while keeping an ever watchful eye on him.

"Dad," Joy barely got out as she quietly walked up to him. He didn't stir as she softly touched his face trying to believe that this was real and he was alright. Portia was right next to her as the door shut behind them signaling Krystall had decided to give them time with their dad.

"Dad," Joy repeated but this time a little stronger and she watched as those brown eyes opened and stared up at her.

"Joy, Portia," Rossi stared back as he sat up and opened his arms. Both his girl immediately enveloped him in a hug for the first time in months. It had been eating at them both that they hadn't spent more time with him and Krystall but now they could and lord knew they would. Kai would be seeing his grandpa a lot from now on. Of course all of that would have to wait till they could figure out how people were coming back to life and why. So far only everyday good people were being resurrected and Rossi being the only famous person who came back from the dead. That was going to be tricky because Rossi's fame meant people would recognize him and realize he was alive and that meant bad things like needles and exams.

"I'm okay, you're okay, we're okay. I'm not going to leave you," David whispered to both his girls as they cried. "Everything's going to be okay."

Meanwhile Gabriel sat in his car outside the place his sister now stayed. He was nervous and a bit anxious about how she would take him coming back. What if she sent him away? What if she was angry at him? He wouldn't blame her for being upset with him, he had lost control when he had seen her. Although in his defense any normal person would freak out and question reality if someone who had most definitely died came back from the dead. She had died too, he had seen her with his own eyes and cried over her body. How was this possible?

Gabriel took a deep breath before getting out of his car when he noticed a news van pull up. He immediately got back in the car and watched the van as a reporter got out with a camera man in tow. He got nervous as he watched them approach Emily's apartment. In a split second decision he quickly got out of the car and headed the reporter off.

"Can I help you ma'am?" Gabriel asked in the most overly polite tone he could muster.

"Could you direct me to SSA Prentiss' apartment?"

"And why would you need to know that?" Gabriel started to press.

"We have a source that says SSA Rossi and Lewis are alive or at least have come back from the dead and are staying at Agent Prentiss' place."

"Who told you that?"

"It's confidential," the reporter tried to explain.

"Actually ma'am it's not and you have twenty seconds to leave before I call the police for you harassing Miss. Prentiss. She lost her two best friends last month and you want an interview," Gabriel threatened.

"You can't…"

"I can and I will now leave," he demanded as he raised his voice.

"Fine."

He watched them begrudgingly leave before taking a deep breath and approaching the door. Before he could even knock Tara was pulling him in the apartment and into a hug.

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." ~ Oscar Wilde


	11. Chapter 11

"Whoever controls the Media, controls the Mind." ~ Jim Morrison

It only took an mear thirty minutes for that malicious reporter to spread the word to every local news outlet that Rossi and Tara were actually alive as well. What better a story than Famous FBI Profiler and World Renowned Writer David Rossi coming back from the dead. The crazy resurrection of people needed a face and what better than a famous one. Now all they needed was for Agent Rossi to step out of the house just once to prove he's alive.

Emily peeked out her apartment window to see a horde of reporters waiting and talking to their cameras. She immediately flipped her phone open and called the Director of the FBI.

"Sir we have a problem."

"What's going on Agent Prentiss. I'm watching the news right now and your apartment is all over it. What's this about Agent Rossi and Lewis still being alive?" He asked as he stared at the screen.

"Sir they are alive but they won't be if whoever crashed our jet finds out they are. These reporters are jeopardizing my team's lives sir. I need backup sent to disperse them before Buero SUVs come pick us up. We need to get back to Quantico, I think we need to start from the beginning and by that I mean the plane crash that started it all a month ago. We need to figure out who did it, why they did it and if they're connected to what's been going on. If they are we need to know how and why they are bringing people back from the dead."

"Alright I'll send both local police and some of our own to disperse the reporters. Three SUVs will arrive to bring you to headquarters in an hour with an armed escort. The hour give us time to clear the area of any plane clothes journalists or reporters before brining Agent Rossi and Agent Lewis out in the open. This is risky business. If someone finds out they're alive the BAU is going to be basically useless until the media buzz dies down so don't get caught."

"Yes sir."

"Agent Prentiss I expect updates on your investigation into this. We need to know what's going on here, this doesn't feel right. Something bigger is in play, a man doesn't bring people back to life for the fun of it, he's got a bigger plan in store. Find out what it is, before we find out the hard way," and with that he hung up.

True to his word five minutes later sirens could be heard and reporters were being forced to leave. For the next hour agents were catching reporters and journalists trying to sneak in the area. It got to a point where they blocked off a mile in every direction before bringing in the SUVs and armed escorts.

As soon as Emily spotted them she turned to everyone sitting in the living room, "Alright so here's how it's going to go. Myself, Reid, Penelope and Luke will be in car one, Dave, Tara, Matt, and J.J. will be in car two, Krystall, Mr. Lewis, Gabriel, Joy, and Portia you will be in the last car. Car one will go out first everyone is to wait till S.W.A.T. is right outside the door and then keep your head down and stay between them the entire run to the SUV. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded and Emily knocked on her front door to let the guys know that they were ready to load up. The second they knocked back the first group was out the door and to the SUV and so it went until everyone was loaded up and on their way to Quantico.

When they reached the base Dave immediately lead his family to stay in his office. He wanted them close by but not within earshot of what they were about to discuss.

"Alright while we wait on all the files from the crash to be sent over I think we need to try and figure out what we all remember happening. And I think we need to start with the two people who remember the least," Emily took command as she looked between Dave and Tara.

"I'll start," Tara volunteered. "I remember sitting across from you, Emily, on the jet on our way home. I must have fallen asleep at some point though because the next thing I remember is waking up the the jet shakinging and Dave complaining about turbulence, then we started to dive so I put my seatbelt on. There was an explosion at some point because the jet started to roll and I remember seeing Rossi go flying. I tried to grab you but you were just out of reach. That's all I remember though, I can't remember the crash itself actually happening or really anything after that. I just remember feeling cold and at some point opening my eyes and staring at the building Luke lived in. I don't remember how I got there though."

"I remember the moment the plane rolled and I was thrown from my seat hitting a wall. All I felt was fear coursing through me at that point. I remember getting a glimpse of J.J. trapped under a part of the plane as I dragged myself away from the wreckage. She was unconscious and I remember it being hard to breath, like someone had sucked the air out of me. I remember sitting up against a tree and feeling panicked because I couldn't feel anything below my waist. I couldn't move anything below my waist and I could see a bone sticking out of my leg but I couldn't feel any pain. I blacked out after that but I remember hearing someone crying and a soft voice every once in a while before total darkness took over. Next thing I know I'm in front of Emily's apartment with no idea of how I got there and I panicked. Ran up and started banging on her door hoping she was awake or even home," Dave explained.

"So wait both of you arrived outside a team member's home but neither of you remember how?" Reid asked.

"Dave you were covered in dirt and mud and you clothes, which were not what you were buried in were ripped and torn…" Emily halted as her eyes went wide. "You were wearing what you were in when the jet crashed."

"Wait what?" Matt questioned.

"No, Emily's right," Luke agreed as he looked over to Tara. "If I remember correctly then you were also in the same clothes as you were when we crashed."

"Well how is that possible? I thought those clothes were tossed?"

"They were or at least they were supposed to be," Emily agreed.

"Guys I think there's more to this crash than meets the eye and I think it's going to be one hell of a ride trying to figure out why or rather who," Matt said.

"Well then let's get started," Penelope greeted as she pushed a cart of files in the room.

"That's a lot of information and clues for a jet crash," Reid commented.

"Well boy genius that is because it is also files on the newly resurrected citizens as well as the crash."

"Let's dig in."

"Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin away." ~ Elvis Presley


	12. Chapter 12

"The problems are solved, not by giving new information but by arranging what we have long since known." ~Ludwig Wittgenstein

"What if the crash and resurrections have nothing to do with each other…" Emily suggested.

"She's right we could be dealing with two unsubs," Rossi agreed.

"We're getting so wrapped up trying to connect the two even though they might not be connected at all," Reid concurred. "We need to look at these as two separate instances connected by a chain of events."

"What do we know so far?" Emily asked the team.

"At approximately 2332 on October 3rd the jet crashed in the middle of a storm. Four people died and the rest were injured. About two days after the crash occurred rescuers found the survivors and brought them back to base before treating them. A week later funerals were held for the deceased. Three weeks later the two victims came back from the dead with no memory of what had happened. Now we know that the crash wasn't an accident because the forensics team found trace amounts of explosive residue on the wing of the jet," Luke read from the file.

"So first order of business is to figure out who had access to it. Second order of business is to figure out the how and then the why," Emily directed.

"I've already compiled a list of agents and government employees with access to the jet. It comes out to seventy three names," Penelope informed them.

"Eliminate anyone who's had zero interaction with the team. I think this is a personal vendetta," J.J. told her.

"Alright we are down to sixty three names."

"What eliminate anyone who's worked here longer than five years. This person's been working here long enough to be pissed at us but not long enough for us to notice," Emily instructed.

"I got five names."

"Who are they?" Dave asked.

"James Venturi, Daniel Ashbury, Mia Rizzo, Iris Shaw, and Samuel Jones. Mr. Venturi is a retired Army Major with Spec Ops experience and yea he's not our guy… he fits the mold of a bomber as well as a square fits in a circle. Next up is Mr. Ashbury, he has been in the FBI going on five years, his main job is maintenance on the jet engines. He's married, financially stable and it seems, at least in accordance with his social media, that he actually is a big supporter of you guys. He frequently defends the FBI against people wanting to tear it down. I don't think he's the guy. Moving on to Mrs. Rizzo and no Dave before you ask she is not married to the Cubs player…"

"I wasn't!" Dave threw his hands up in surrender.

"Sure you weren't," Penelope rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Mrs. Rizzo has been with the FBI for less than a year and we can eliminate her as a suspect because she was on leave for the whole two weeks we were on that case. She was in North Carolina while we were in Michigan. Alrighty then, on to Mrs. Shaw who is married with two kids, she's been with us for two years and oooo no bueno. Mrs. Shaw is not a happy camper. Seems her husband is a local cop here who was killed last year during one of our investigations."

"Well if that's not a trigger I don't know what is," Dave said.

"But the question is why now? Or rather why last month," Luke asked Penelope.

"It seems our killer queen was denied access to her husband's life insurance for the last time because of some loophole the insurance company put in."

"So she blames us. Makes sense, hell I'd blame us if I was her," Matt acknowledged.

"So would I," Emily agreed. "Where is Iris now?"

"If financhales are correct and they usually are she's in a movie theater watching End Game with her kids."

"Alright I'll have Unit 4 send agents to bring her in since we can't really leave the building," Emily told everyone as she pulled out her phone.

"I'm gonna go check on my brother and dad," Tara excused herself as she left the room.

"I should probably make sure the girls are okay," Dave told them before making his way to his office. Inside Joy was asleep on the couch, Krystall was sitting in the chair quietly next to her and Portia was looking at his shadow box mounted on the wall.

"How did you receive the purple heart?" she asked after he's entered the room.

"I was injured in an explosion that killed one of my guys. Stepped on a wire in the jungles of Vietnam, almost killed me," Rossi explained as he walked over to her.

Portia hugged him as soon as he was next to her and he hugged her back almost afraid to let go after talking about that day. Tomorrow was Veterans Day after all, although the Military viewed it on the 12th, he still could appreciate everything his brothers in arms did.

"You guys should get some sleep, I think I have some blankets and thing in that cabinet," Dave suggested as Krystall followed him out of the office.

"Hey, how are you doin?" she asked concerned with her hands resting on his chest.

"I'm fine," he brushed it off.

"David," Krystall warned.

"I'll be fine. We know who took the jet down finally and Unit 4 is going to pick her up. I just need to get through tomorrow and I'll be fine," he told her.

Joy must have woken up because as he looked past Krystall he could see her walking towards the head with Portia in tow.

"David come on," Krystall said as she pulled him back into his office and on the couch. "Just hold me so I know you're still there."

"Okay," he agreed and wrapped her up in his arms.

Joy walked back in her dad's office an hour later, Portia and her had gotten lunch, to find her dad sound asleep on the couch and Krystall tucked protectively in his embrace also sleeping. She smiled as her heart swelled at how peaceful they looked before taking a quick picture and heading out the door.

"Emily," Joy waved her over before showing her what was going on.

"I'll leave him be then. I was just about to let everyone know that we got her. I was going to see if Rossi or Tara wanted first dibs at interrogation."

"I would love to interrogate the little shit who killed me," Tara told her as she walked up behind them.

"Go right ahead, Matt will be observing."

"Life is a boomerang. What you give you get." ~ Unknown


	13. Chapter 13

**I would like to thank** **ahowell1993**   **for giving me this idea. It sent me on a creative high on all the possibilities of where I could go with this!**

" _A Murderer will Kill you. A Thief will Steal from you. But you will never know where you stand with a Liar." ~ Unknown_

While Rossi rested and Tara was interrogating their suspect Reid well...read. He read through every case file and book having to do with people coming back from the dead and that's when he noticed a pattern. Everyone who came back, every single person who had come back to life so far… they had all been the victims of murder.

Spencer looked up when he heard someone knock on the door to the round table room. His heart almost stopped in his chest the second he laid eyes on her. Maeve, his Maeve, she was...alive and unharmed and… Before Spencer could even stand fully she had him enveloped in a tight hug and he cried.

"I don't know what is happening but I had to find you," she whispered to him as she rubbed his back.

"Thomas Merton," was all Spencer got out as he held her tighter. There was a brief realization that someone had found them and shut the door so they could have some privacy but he didn't care. He had Maeve back and was starting to wonder if it really mattered. Finding whoever was bringing people back, was what they were doing really all that bad if they were giving people their lives back and a chance at a real life.

Out in the bull pin something was happening, Stephen came rushing in and up to Rossi's office. "MR. ROSSI! MR. ROSSI!" he yelled as he banged on the door until it swung open and the disgruntled looking man caught his arms.

"What is it Stephen?!" Rossi asked him.

"Dad's back."

"What?"

"Dad, he's back. He's in my car right now."

"Get his ass in here Stephen and I'll be right back," Rossi told him as he made his was to Emily's office.

"What's going on Dave?" Emily stood as he came in almost out of breath.

"Gideon's alive and Maeve and...ah" Dave grabbed his chest as pain shot through it and he fell to the ground.

"Rossi!" Emily shot forward and knelt beside him on the ground.

"I'm fine," he got out as his face contorted in pain.

"No you are not Dave," Gideon said to his old friend from his position in the doorway.

"He's right Dave. Come on help me get him up and to the couch," She told Jason.

They managed to half drag him onto the couch despite his protests and while Emily went to grab Krystall and a medic Jason sat with him.

"Been a while," Jason told him.

"Too long Jason. Too long," Dave told him with a pinched smile.

"Yet the first thing you do when I get here is collapse," Jason joked.

All Rossi could do in response was chuckle.

"What's going on David," Gideon asked him seriously now.

"I was hoping you could tell me that Jason."

"I woke up or rather opened my eyes and I wasn't on the ground of my cabin but standing in front of Stephen's home with a shirt covered in holes and blood on. The same thing I know I was killed in and yes Dave i know I died."

"I did too Jason," Dave confessed to his old friend.

"What? When?"

"Month ago in a plane crash caused by an explosive attached to the wing of the jet," Rossi explained. "I was a live for a bit after the crash. Paralyzed from the waist down with a severe head wound and other severe injuries but alive for a while...till I wasn't."

Jason didn't say a word after that as they waited for the medic to get there. It wasn't long till Krystall was coming in the room and hugging him and begging him not to go anywhere.

"Bella, bella I'm alright now. It was just chest pain from getting worked up I promise I'm not going anywhere," he consoled the crying woman in his arms.

"I just don't want to lose you again," she said into his chest as she continued to cry.

"I know...shhhh everything will be alright bella."

Just outside the office Spencer and Maeve where finally coming out of the round table room after a long discussion and some more tears. Spencer once again froze in place at who he saw there standing out side of Rossi office.

"Hello Spencer," Jason said slightly smiling when he saw who's hand was being held.

"Gideon."

"I'm sorry for the way I just left but I felt it was for the best," Jason tried to explain.

"It's fine. Rossi stepped in just fine," Spencer replied almost defensively and relaxed only after Maeve squeezed his hand.

"Dave's been a better father figure to you then I ever could and I can appreciate that but I'm still sorry," Jason explained.

"He's been there when I needed him most. When everyone has needed him most," Reid told Gideon truthfully.

Gideon nodded in agreement before turning and walking down the stairs and out of the bullpen. He'd wait in a conference room so as not to disturb any other members of the team.

Spence sighed as Maeve pulled him into a hug, "I miss him so much but I can't help being angry with him for leaving too."

"Spencer you don't have to rush forgiveness just because he died and came back. If you're not ready then you're not ready."

"It's just that I almost feel like it's betraying Rossi who's been there for me and been like a father figure to me if I just forgive Jason and take him back," Spence told her.

"Oh kid you could never betray me."

Reid spun around to see Rossi watching him sadly from the doorway of Emily's office.

"Figlio you make me proud every day and whether you decide to forgive Jason for leaving or not I'm still gonna love you kid," Dave reassured him.

"Thanks Rossi," Reid told him as he left Maeve to give Dave a quick and awkward hug that was all Spencer.

"Anytime kiddo.  _Anytime_ ," Rossi told him.

" _It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us Father and Son." ~ Johann Schiller_


	14. Chapter 14

" _True love isn't Romeo and Juliet who died together. It's Grandma and Grandpa who grew old together." ~ Unknown_

As Rossi waited for Spencer and Maeve to get back from talking to Gideon he realized something… if murder victims were the ones coming back that meant Erin might come back as well. The thought left him feeling conflicted on multiple levels because he loved Erin and he always would but he loved his wife as well. He couldn't help but wonder what would've happened between them if she had never been murdered by the Replicator. Would they have stayed together? Would he have proposed eventually? What about Krystall? Would they have ever met again? There were so many questions but no answers to give and as he stood in front of his office he was almost nervous to find out what would happen if she did come back.

"Hey you."

Dave turned to face his wife as he leaned against the rail behind him.

"I know that look. What's wrong?" she asked as she observed his reserved yet slightly worried face.

"It's nothing," he assured her.

"David, don't get me that crap."

"I don't know what to do," he confessed.

"About what? Spencer?" she asked now becoming confused herself. "David you know that boy looks up to you like a father. Jason being back won't change that."

"No not Spencer. Erin."

"Erin… I suppose this conversation was inevitable with everyone coming back from the dead and all. David do you still love her? And don't try and lie I already know the answer to this question and no I'm not angry about it."

"Yes," he admitted sadly to himself.

"Do you love me?"

"Of course," he looked up at her quickly as if the fact that he loved her could possibly be a question.

"Do you love Portia?" she asked him.

"Like she my own daughter," Dave assured her.

"Then I think everything will turn out alright," she said before quickly kissing his lips and heading down the stairs for coffee.

Rossi sighed inwardly but agreed that if it came down to it…. he'd always choose his family over anything else.

Tara walked out of interrogation to see Dave standing sadly against the rail. Before she could say anything though he went into his office and shut the door. Tara let out a sigh of her own before heading to Emily's office hoping to find the Unit Chief in there. As luck would have it she was in her office although she was currently drowning in paperwork.

"Iris Shaw is talking," Tara informed her.

"What's she saying?" Emily asked as she moved some stacks around so she could actually see who was speaking.

"That she did it. Which was obvious but also that she was paid to do it but a man named Jonathan Venturi," Tara informed her with a hint of almost amusement and curiosity in her voice.

"James' brother? Why would he higher Iris to hit the jet?"

"Because he needed test subjects to bring back from the dead and apparently Dave and I were the perfect two to try it on. He works in the Army National Guard not Active Duty but Reserves and his second job is as a coroner. He had the time, opportunity and means to do all of this plus he has a degree in Biology and failed out of medical school. I'm willing to bet he asked his brother about how to get it done too so he could be involved. Iris did say our man gave her step by step instructions on how to do it."

"Where is he now?" Emily asked as she stood from her swamped desk.

"That's the problem… we can't find him. It's like he fell of the face of the earth after the jet crashed," Tara told her.

"We need to find him now. He's no longer the savior of the dead but a murderer of two federal agents. I want him found. No one kills my friends for a science experiment and gets away with it," Emily declared.

Tara nodded and left the office quickly, she had seen a different side of Prentiss in there and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Spencer and Maeve walked out of the conference room where he had been speaking with Gideon about everything. Maeve clung to his arm like he might disappear if she let go and he didn't mind all that much if he was honest with himself. They were approaching the elevator banks when Erin Strauss came flying out of it wide eyed and looking scared.

"Doctor Reid where is Agent Rossi?" she asked him urgently.

"I think he's in his office ma'am but Director Strauss wait!" Spencer called to her before she could take off.

"What?"

"Ma'am you've been dead for seven years," Reid told her.

"I know," she admitted to him sadly as she gave Maeve a small smile before heading to Rossi's office at a more subdued pace.

"I feel bad for her. She's been dead for seven years comes back and realizes the man she loved has probably moved on by now. At least I came back and I still had you Spence but she doesn't have Agent Rossi anymore," Maeve told him as they walked back to his desk.

"The one draw back our unsub didn't foresee," Spencer commented.

"An unfortunate draw back," Maeve agreed.

In Penelope's Bat Cave Tara and her where trying to figure out a way to track the man down.

"Have you tried looking at any condemned hospitals or possibly building the military owns that are closed down?" Tara suggested.

"There are hundreds and everyone coming back are all over the country not just Virginia and it's at random too. I'm starting to wonder if the person doing this is a person at all because most of the cloths these people were murdered in where locked away in evidence vaults or destroyed. There is no way this guy is able to bring people back and put them in the cloths they were murdered in," Penelope told her.

"And yet here we are with people coming back from the dead and in the cloths they were murdered in."

"How are we supposed to find this guy I mean he's like a stone cold apparition at this point."

"I'm not sure but monitor his financials put an APB out on him and his car and monitor his cell. Maybe we'll get lucky," and with that Tara left the Bat Cave.

Penelope started tracking everything right away hoping beyond hope that something would give and they'd catch they crazy guy.

In the meantime Tara asked Matt and Luke to go pick up the brother. Hopefully he would know where Jonathan was or at least a list of places he could be. They would have the possible accomplice in custody once they got him and any win was one worth taking right now. This needed to stop before it got out of hand and he started bringing murderers back from the dead as well.

" _Everybody's a mad scientist and life is their lab. We're all trying to experiment to find a way to live, to fend off madness and chaos." ~ David Cronenberg_


	15. Chapter 15

"The Battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man." ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

"So Mr. Venturi, you want to tell us why your brother was found to be connected with the woman who is accused of taking down a BAU jet?" Luke asked him.

"No idea," James told him with a smirk.

Luke slammed his fists on the table causing him to jump "That crash killed two of our agents!" Luke yelled before slapping down two pictures of Dave and Tara after they had died. "SSA David Rossi a father, grandfather, world renowned writer, Marine, and FBI agent! SSA Tara Lewis a daughter, sister, and an outstanding agent and teacher! You and your brother got them killed!"

"Wow wait man I had nothing to do with this! If John did that then it pisses me off and I'll help you anyway I can. Agent Rossi was a hero of mine and it killed me when I found out he was one of the people killed," James told him.

"Tell us where your brother is."

"I don't know where he is. He hasn't spoken or contacted me in months."

"You're gonna have to do better than that or maybe we should just arrest you now for terrorism because that's what that crash was. A terrorist attack against US Federal Agents over US Soil,"

"Hold on I did no such thing! I served my country proudly I would never betray it and the fact that John did disgusts me!"

"Then where is your brother James?" Luke asked once more.

"Give me a pad of paper and a pencil. I don't know where he is but I know a few places he might go."

While Luke was getting the information Rossi was sitting rather awkwardly at his desk trying to figure out what to say after an hour of silence.

"David it's alright," Erin told him finally speaking.

"No it's not."

"You're right it's not but it is what it is. You have a family now though. A beautiful daughter and grandson who love you and Krystall who loves you as well," she told him.

"But I love you too," he told her sadly.

"I know and maybe in another life but this is this life and Dave you deserve happiness and you've found it," Erin assured him.

He gave her a sad smile in response "I died," he told her.

"I heard."

"I wonder if…"

"I do too, but we'd remember if we were meant to remember."

"I catch glimpses of light in my memories every once in a while but nothing more."

"Like I said if we were meant to remember then we would."

"I wonder if my son was there… If I got to hold him."

"I'm sure you did," Erin assured him, her heart breaking just a bit more for the man before her.

"Yea," he agreed his voice breaking a bit.

All three of his girls were having coffee by the break area with Emily right there with them. Tara's brother and father who hadn't been seen in a while walked over and sat with them all.

"Have you all figured out what is happening?" Mr. Lewis asked Emily.

"We have the unsub's brother in custody now and he is giving us a list of possible locations where he could be hiding. Once we have that list we will go location to location and raid each one till we find him."

"And then what?" Krystall asked her.

"Then we'll question him as to how he's bringing people back from the dead and charge him with Dave and Tara's murder," Emily explained just as Luke came running in.

"We have the list," he told her as he waved a piece of paper in his hand.

"Let's go and tell Dave and Tara, they'll want to be there," Emily said as she took the paper. "We'll take two choppers for the locations further out and I want one team in SUVs for the closer locations."

"Got it," Luke said before taking off for Rossi's office and then the round table room where Tara was currently talking with Reid and Maeve. He didn't even bother to knock before barging in on Dave and Erin talking.

"What is it Luke?"

"Rossi we have locations and Emily figured you'd want in on the hunt," Luke told him quickly before leaving to get Tara. He could see Rossi for a split second running out of his office and down the stairs before barging into the round table room.

"What's going on?" Tara asked.

"We've got locations. Reid, Tara lets go catch this son of a bitch," Luke told them before making his way back to Emily. Tara and Reid weren't far behind as they all met up by the elevator bank. They all entered quickly and sat in silence a moment before Emily finally spoke.

"These are the teams Luke, Matt, and J.J. you're with Team Alpha and the three of you will be taking the SUVs and hitting the closer locations. Reid and I will be with Team Bravo taking one of the helos. Dave and Tara you're with Team Charlie and will be in the second helo."

"Aye Aye," Rossi said as the elevator opened and they all headed to their assigned teams.

This was going to be a long night but hopefully they could stop this guy before things got out of hand and someone got hurt. Team Alpha took off immediately for a few possible friend's houses the unsub could be hiding out in. Team Bravo was the first to take to the air as they headed for some warehouses the military abandoned that the unsub had access to. Team Charlie, with Rossi and Lewis, was heading to the last location on the list, a cabin James owned fifty mile away.

Everyone was in for a surprise tonight but only time would tell who would live, who would die, and who would get the biggest shock of a lifetime.

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."

~ Chuck Palahniuk


	16. Chapter 16

" _Heroes get remembered but Legends never die." ~ Babe Ruth_

Team Alpha had hit most of the houses but found nothing but confused civilians each time. They were getting tired and with only two homes left the odds were against them to say the least. As they pulled up to the second to last home on their list the entire car had a bad feeling about this one. It's not that the house itself was foreboding but man staring at them through the window of the home next door was a bit creepy.

"Keep it tight, I have a bad feeling about this one," Matt instructed as the three of them plus S.W.A.T approached the home.

J.J. looked up after checking her weapon and the man was gone, the house still dark on an unsettlingly silent street. S.W.A.T. approached first with the team directly behind them. The stairs up to the porch creaked under the weight of everyone making them more uneasy.

On the count of three S.W.A.T stormed the house but just as the team got inside everything went sideways quickly.

"BOMB!" Luke yelled but too late.

The explosion that came with the detonation of the explosive rocked the entire neighborhood. As first responders approached the scene there was no sign of life, it seemed no one had survived the blast as far as they could tell.

As news of just who had been in that building was received the lead Detective contacted the Chief of Police to inform him of the FBI agents possibly killed.

"Sir we have a problem."

"What happened?"

Meanwhile Team Bravo wasn't having much luck with the warehouses and the military wasn't being very cooperative. It had taken them a half hour of flight time to even reach the first one and then another half house to get clearance to search each and every one. It was long a tedious work but after a while they were finally getting to their last stop.

"Emily, have you heard anything from Alpha or Charlie?" Reid asked her.

"Not yet but Alpha has a lot of houses to get through and Charlie is more than likely still airborne," she informed him.

With that they entered the final warehouse and began their search with S.W.A.T. taking lead. It was dark with the power to the building having been shut off years ago making it hard to see anything except the glow of light coming from under a door on the upper level.

"Got something," Emily radioed in.

"10-4 where heading up," the S.W.A.T team leader returned.

S.W.A.T. got out a snake cam and slid it under the door to check for possible traps but when non where seen they gave the okay. Kicking in the door the team rushed the room with weapons drawn only to find a small TV sitting in the middle with the news on. The tv showed a house on fire, the home had just exploded with what was reported three FBI agents and a S.W.A.T. team still inside.

"Is this live?" Reid asked the team leader.

"I believe so, yea."

"I'll call the team, Dave and Tara should be landing soon," Emily told them trying to hid the immense fear she held.

"They're gone…" Reid whispered as he dropped to one knee in front of the tv.

Team Charlie had landed not some five minutes later with all radio and cell signal out. They were essentially on their own in the middle of the woods with no backup but the people they had with them. With the chopper unable to land the team had to repel down a mile away from the cabin not wanting to alert the possible unsub lurking within.

They took off from there weaving their way in and out of the trees as one cohesive unit. That was until someone stepped on a bear trap that had gone unnoticed a quarter mile from their destination.

"Ahhhh," the young man let out a pain filled wail.

"Shhhhh Allen you have to stay quiet," the guy trying to pry the damn thing off told him.

Rossi quickly positioned himself behind the young man and covered his mouth to muffle the cries but still allowed him to breath through his nose. It only took seconds before he passed out from the pain.

"You two," dave pointed to two men in the back "drag him back to the chopper and try to radio for a medic if you can't get one then evac him out on the chopper. It should have landed a mile back from where we repelled down."

Both guys nodded and got to work deciding to switch who carried him and the half way mark.

"Let's go," Tara ordered everyone.

It only took a few more minutes to reach the cabin, it was dark with no sign of movement or really life at all. The place looked like it hadn't been visited in years just based off the outside of it. S.W.A.T. moved in immediately but with only seven guys, not including Dave and Tara, it made them nervous. Still they pushed on and with Rossi's go ahead they stormed the building with the two FBI Agents making their way towards the back. It wasn't long before a light was noticed coming out from under a room on the far side. A few guys stacked up and broke down the door storming the room only to find a man sitting in a chair watching the news. The man was indeed John Venturi and the news was of an explosion at a residential home. A home that had contained a S.W.A.T. team and three FBI Agents.

"What did you do?!" Rossi was the first to snap dragging John out of his chair and pinning him to the wall.

"I found the cure for death," the mad man chuckled as he stared at Dave his eyes gleaming in amusement.

"You killed three FBI Agents! MY FRIENDS!" Rossi roared and before he knew it Tara and the team leader where pulling him off the guy and into the hall.

"Dave calm down, we don't know if they're really dead," Tara consoled the man.

"J.J. was in that house. What am I going to tell Will or those boys," he said to himself brokenly.

"We have the guy and now we can put him away okay."

All Dave could manage in response was a small nod before he made his was out of the house. He didn't want to be in the same house as that man let alone the same planet. He killed J.J. and Rossi wanted him to pay dearly for that.

" _One thing about them tables… they always turn." ~ Unknown_


	17. Chapter 17

" _The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?" ~ Edgar Allan Poe_

Emily and Reid where the first of the team to return having taken an SUV straight from the helipad. Things seemed to go from bad to worse though when and agent came rushing up to them in panic.

"Agent Prentiss James Venturi is missing," he informed her.

"What do you mean he's missing? I thought I instructed you guys to keep an eye on him," She said as she took off towards the interrogation room.

"The agent we had watching him decided to take a head call and forgot to lock the door. When he came back the suspect was gone."

Sure enough the interrogation room was empty and there was no sign of James anywhere.

" _Tick tock agents, I hear my brother took out three of you but guess who's about to top that score,"_ James' voice came over the intercom.

"How does he have access to that?" Emily questioned the now fumbling agent beside her.

"Emily we need to evacuate the building now. He killed them with a bomb and being ex spec ops he has the training and connections to get one in this building if he really wanted to," Reid cautioned her.

"We can't because the second we start moving people is the second he sets it off."

"You know I still don't understand what any of this has to do with bringing people back from the dead. Why kill people just to bring them back? It makes no sense."

"Unless they aren't bringing them back and Rossi and Lewis were just really convenient dead people to bring back for the person behind that little side project," Emily told him.

"Four unsubs. Two out killing agents for the fun of it almost like a game, one out for revenge, and one trying to bring people back from the dead," Reid recited.

"Exactly," Emily agreed.

" _Tick tock your time is up my little agents. Too bad your friends didn't make it back in time to join you but at least they'll get to enjoy the show!"_

Just four blocks from the BAU building Tara, Rossi and John were all in an SUV. They didn't even get two feet closer before the building in front of them exploded in a massive fireball. Bricks, parts of people, and glass came showering down on the SUV as they came screeching to a halt. It was dead silent as they watched the building in front of them begin to collapse into rubble. They didn't even have time to react when a truck ran full speed into them pushing their car into the building beside them.

Tara was the first to wake up, her vision immediately filled with a blaze of fire coming from the hood of the car. She looked over to see Rossi still unconscious, he was in the passenger seat and had received the brunt of the crash. She quickly unbuckled herself and despite a broken leg dragged herself into the backseat and out the open door.

"Help!" Tara yelled over the sound of sirens all around her but no one seemed to notice one car crash in the middle of the chaos around them. She made her way back to the burning car and yanked open Rossi's door, thankfully it hadn't melted shut or been jammed shut in the crash. She took out her knife and cut the seat belt off him when it wouldn't come unclipped. Then Tara lifted him into the same position they taught in the Academy to carry his rather massive form away from the burning SUV. James was long gone but she wouldn't let her partner die because she let that fact distract her. Paramedics quickly rushed over and got Dave onto a gurney before helping Tara into one as well.

She could feel the heat of the fire from where she was, it was intense and fierce. The flames danced as the dark pitch black smoke rose to cover the night sky. It was a perfect symbol of death at it's very core and Tara shuddered at the thought of how many agents had just lost their lives. Her friends had all lost their lives and her family had all lost their lives. Dave's family where all gone too, his daughters, his wife all gone.

Dave woke a few hours later in the hospital to Tara sitting next to him.

"What happened?" he asked her. His heart constricted almost painfully at the thought that someone else had died.

"Dave," Tara said as fresh tears ran down her face. "John got out of interrogation, he-he planted a bomb. Everyone...Dave I'm so sorry," Tara cried as she watched the realization of what she said sank in.

The most inhuman howl of pain erupted from him as everything came crashing down. His chest, everything manifested itself in a physical pain in his chest. Rossi turned over as full wracking sobs took over his entire body making it harder to breath. He lost his baby girl and Portia and God the love of his life once again. He'd lost James and now he'd lost Joy and he didn't think he could do this anymore. He couldn't keep going when it seemed like everyone he loved always died. First James, then Carolyn, then Erin, then Harrison, Jason, J.J., Luke, Matt, and now everyone else was gone. He just couldn't keep doing this he thought as he sobbed into his hands trying to hide as best he could from Tara. He was faintly aware of her exiting the room a short few seconds later after softy touching his shoulder in comfort.

Days passed and Rossi didn't say a word as he stared at the ceiling. Tara would come visit him but even she couldn't get him to talk. Eventually the hospital released him and he went home where Kai and Shawn came and stayed with him for a few weeks while the funerals where all happening but he wasn't nearly as happy even then. Although he put on a brave face for his grandson and pretended everything was alright Shawn knew better. He gave them plenty of time together while they stayed, seeing Kai seemed to help a little bit.

Weeks came and went and still there was not sign of the Venturi boy anywhere. The case became Rossi's new obsession when Shawn and Kai finally returned home. Dave wasn't out for justice though, he was out for revenge. He was hell bent on killing the two men who murdered his family. What made it worse was that people weren't coming back anymore, it had all stopped after the explosion. Dave assumed whoever or whatever had been bringing people back got scared off by the two mad men.

" _The Death of A Child it's like losing your breath and never catching it again, It's a forever panic attack feeling in your heart dying as your soul is screaming for them and no matter what you try to do you continue to lose your mind." ~ Unknown_


	18. Chapter 18

" _No matter how dark the moment, Love and Hope are always possible." ~ George Chakiris_

It had been months since the explosion, months of hunting unsuccessfully for the bastards who killed his family. He'd decided not long ago that instead of hunting for the brothers, he'd hunt for the man who had, at one point, been bringing people back. Now he stood outside the home of said woman, yes it turns out it was never a man bringing people back but a woman. So David Rossi stood there, hair white and unkempt, goatee now replaced by a scruffy beard, his cloths once nice now were unironed and wrinkled. He looked like he hadn't slept properly since the bomb and he hadn't nor had he had human interaction unless necessary. He was a mess to say the least and looked like anything but the kind man his friends knew and loved. He was dangerous and willing to do just about anything to get them back.

Rossi knocked on the door to the small home located out in the middle of nowhere. There was a car in the driveway so someone must be home.

"Who are you?" a small voice asked as she peaked out from behind the door.

"David Rossi may I speak with you?" he asked her softly.

"About what?"

"About how you've been bringing people back from the dead ma'am," he told her and before he had a chance the door slammed in his face. Rossi sighed, all fight leaving him, he didn't want to hurt her but that didn't seem to matter. This had been his last chance to get his family back, his very last chance. "Please," he begged through the door but no answer came. Dave turned around and sat on the steps that lead to the porch and put his face in his hands. He was just so tired, so tired of searching only to have everything fail, so tired of losing people.

The woman watched through the front window as the man sat and cried. He seemed destroyed, like he had nothing left to live for but instead of threatening her he just gave up. She knew who he was of course and what he would ask of her. She almost immediately decided not to help him but watching the man now...she was almost afraid of what he'd do not to her but to himself if she didn't help him.

"Mr. Rossi," she called to him as she opened the door again.

He quickly wiped the tears from his face as he stood and turned around to face her.

"Yes?"

"I'll help you get your friends back," she told him and watched him relax a little. It was the only change that showed he'd heard her. "Come in please," she said stepping aside as he walked through the door.

The woman, Janice White, followed him into the living room and gestured for him to sit on the couch and she left to get drinks. He looked around and took in the more modern look to the little house. She kept up with society even way out here in the middle of Wyoming.

"It'll take time to bring them all back," She commented as she returned with scotch.

"I've waited this long," Dave told her.

"I know and I can't tell you how I do it but It'll be done. What I need from you however, is to not look like the walking dead when they do return," White told him as she looked him up and down.

"Sleep, a shower and a fresh change of clothes," Dave agreed.

"Go home Agent Rossi, do those things and one by one you'll have them back. In return I want you to find the brothers  _before_  they find me."

"They'll never get near you," Dave declared.

"Leave then and by tomorrow your family will start to return along with your other friend's family," White told him.

"One question. Why?" he asked her.

"Because I can."

With that Dave made his way back out and to his car ready to return home. It would be a long drive but every second just brought him that much closer to his family and friends. Hopefully his living one's would forgive him for pushing them away. He watched as the house disappeared in his rear view mirror and the sun began to set behind it. Today changed everything and once everyone was back he'd hunt the brothers down and kill them himself. He remembered the fear coursing through him during that plane crash those many months ago. The same fear coursing through him when he watched the building explode not long after. The pain filling his every breath at the thought of having to go through life without his family. That pain eased just a bit today, not much but, enough to make the drive home more bearable.

When Dave finally made it home, he showered and the ate a real meal for the first time in months. He went to bed and slept peacefully for the first time since the crash the day everything changed. He woke up the next morning, changed into clean clothes, shaved and trimmed his goatee and waited. He waited all morning for that knock at his door and it finally came around eleven, with Rossi jumping up and running faster to the door than he had in years. Standing before him as he swung the door open was Joy and by the buzzing of his phone Tara's brother or father was back too. Without a second thought he pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

"I love you dad."

"I love you too Joy."

" _There is only on happiness in life to love and be loved." ~ Unknown_


	19. Chapter 19

"" _I always tell my kids the only reason evil exists in the world is so that good can triumph over it." "Well if it didn't we'd be out of a job."" ~ CSI:NY (Jo Danville & Mac Taylor)_

It took about two weeks for everyone to come back and even then not everyone came back. Gideon and Erin for example weren't back at least not yet but Spencer and Maeve were. It was an emotional reunion for everyone especially Krystall and Dave. The two of them didn't leave the house or each other's sight for another week after she came back to him. Times were confusing but what they knew so far was this:

The Venturi boy's planned the plane crash in hopes of killing the team but hired a disgruntled woman to do it for them. This way the blame would fall on her and not them. Around this time the lovely lady in Wisconsin discovered a way to bring people back from the dead and the team still has no idea how. She saw the crash as an opportunity to try out this discovery to see if it really worked and it did. Meanwhile the brother's realized their plan to kill the team had only partially succeeded, until everyone started coming back from the dead. By that time they had already concocted a plan to just blow the whole building up. Only problem being that the team found out they were behind the crash making their new plan both harder and easier in some ways. Eventually they blew the building and made their escape to Arizona and that's where the team was currently tracking them.

"The entire state and country is on high alert for these guys. They've got no way out," Rossi told the team on the jet.

"Yeah they've got two ways to get out of there. Either dead or in handcuffs," Luke practically growled.

"Do we have a specific location in Arizona they could be?" Emily asked Penelope, who was on a tablet video chatting with the team.

"I am suspicious of everything and sure of nothing," she told them sadly. "The is nothing and no one there even relatively connected to the Venturi's.

"Which is what they want. If they're not connected to anything then we can't track them."

"Why did they do it?" Tara asked suddenly.

"Does it matter?" Luke responded a bit ignorantly.

"No that's a good question. All of this and we still don't really know why they did it," Rossi agreed.

"So why did they do it?" Emily now asked.

The whole jet fell silent at the question because in truth none of them really knew the answer.

"They never mentioned a reason," Spencer finally spoke.

"Are you sure?" Emily asked him.

"Yes but Luke you remember the brother you interrogated?"

"Should've interrogated a bit more but yes."

"You told me he mentioned a name," Reid prodded.

"Yea, Page. At the time I just thought it was a girl he knew. Is it not?"

"Page is the name of a town in Arizona," Reid told them.

"They could be heading there if they aren't already," Rossi put in.

"That's if they're there at all," Emily corrected.

"I guess we're going to Page, Arizona," Luke said as he looked around.

"Home of Lake Powell...I'll let the pilot's know to set course for Northern Arizona," J.J. told Emily before making her way to do just that.

It was another few hours before they landed but by then mobile units were ready to meet them at the local airport. It was a hodgepodge of local, state, and federal law enforcement officials. The one thing the team noticed is that there were whispers throughout the crowd as agent's and cop's alike stared at them. The team picked up words like Phantom Team and Ghosts, making them shiver as the people around them stared on.

"Alright! This is how this is gonna go! We are going door to door, I want this town turned upside down and inside out till we find these guys. They are to be regarded as armed and extremely dangerous, the order is KOS. This comes from the President himself," Emily informed the large gathering of law enforcement.

"There hasn't been a real KOS order since Ruby Ridge," an officer pointed out.

"Things change, these two men alive endanger the lives millions. Not just law enforcement but civilians as well. The Kill On Sight order is in effect until further notice," Emily declared.

Once a sufficient amount of the group seemed to accept it Emily split everyone into teams and this time the National Guard arrived with tactical gear for all participation in the man hunt. These guys would not go down without a fight and there was no way anyone was going in under protected this time. It took a lot of favors on Rossi, Matt and Luke's part but they got what they needed. For them it'd be like going back to war but for most everyone else it was like a really bad day at the office.

"We have the whole town locked off, State Police has got the place surrounded with a man every couple hundred yards. They've been given the order to shoot if someone approaches and refuses to stop," the local Sheriff told Emily.

"That'll keep them in but now we have to flush them out. You've kept the town quiet?" She asked him.

"All of your Fed buddies drove in, as did State Police and no one entered the town. They went around and came straight here. I've got my regular patrol's still on so it doesn't look suspicious and no one suspects a thing yet."

"Good, the last this we need is them getting out before we can get them."

"Oh I doubt that'll happen with what you team has set up ma'am."

What was with the whispers earlier?"

"Rumor going around that every person on your team has been killed at least once and come back. They started calling y'all the Phantom Team of the FBI," the man scuffed clearly not believing it.

"We did all die sheriff and that name's pretty accurate."

" _We are all on this road together. The good men who fight for the wrong causes, and the corrupt men who cloak themselves in righteousness. Each one of them convinced they are on the side of the angels." ~ Jack Mitchell_


	20. Chapter 20

" _I guess every generation is doomed to fight its war… suffer the loss of the same old illusions, and learn the same old lessons on its own." ~ Phillip Caputo_

Emily was about three guys back on the first house of the night. The first guy in the stack up had his eyes and weapon, a shotgun, fixated on the door itself, prepared to engage any enemy that may come out. The number two man had his rifle over the shoulder furthest from the wall of the number one man, his weapon pointed straight ahead and ready to engage. Emily was canted slightly sideways between 45-90 degrees from the stack with her sector of fire the flank on the side opposite of the wall, while also covering high points on the side. The number four man was turned almost completely around with his back to the number Emily, though not fully turned around, his sector of fire was the rear flank, ready to engage any immediate threat that may pose itself.

The first man entered and immediately button-hooked into the room, entering the doorway, and making a 180-degree turn to clear the corner on the same wall they were stacked on. The second man in copied the first but went in the opposite direction covering the other side of the house. The two moved as one as they continued to his corner by corner and room by room. As Emily enter the door, she side-stepped in the same direction that the number one man went and cleared the center of the room. Her final sector of fire was in the center of the room, three feet off of the number two man's barrel. The last man entered the room back-stepping as he moved to the door, then finally turning around to enter the room. He went to the same side as the number two man, and followed the same movement pattern as Emily, stopping before he reached the near corner.

"Clear," was eventually yelled from each room as the team slowly met back at the front door.

"One down and the rest of the town to go," Emily sighed.

This was going to be a long and dangerous night but luckily every team, and there were many, was equipped with one M500 shotgun, four M14 service rifles, and four M9 service pistols. All equipment worn and used was military grade hardware all the way down to the boots they wore. They wore coyote brown steel toe boots, combat desert trousers and blouses, a tan riggers belt, bullet proof vests, a leg strapped gun holster, tan recon gloves, tan tactical knee pads, tan balaclava, black ballistic eye protection, and helmets with a camera recording everything.

It looked like the unofficial Marines came to town and people were wondering what was up. The team had to work fast now that the element of surprise was almost gone and so they did. There was at least one member of the FBI's "Phantom Team" there to help raid each house. The only difference in uniform that the team had from everyone else was three of them had their former military ranks displayed. Rossi had 3 Stripes, 1 Star, and 4 Rockers on his uniform because he was a Marine Sergeant Major (E-9). Matt had three chevrons above one rocker because he was an Army Staff Sergeant (E-6). While Luke had three chevrons because he was an Army Sergeant (E-5).

The three men lead teams into a bit more difficult buildings having had more tactical experience although Rossi's was in a jungle and Luke's was in a desert it still served them well. Their teams were hitting the larger houses and warehouses in the town as opposed to the small shops and townhouses. Eventually they all met up at their last stop, all three teams arrived at a large ranch style home. The place had two entrances Luke's team surrounded the perimeter in a tight circle around the house. Matt's team stacked up at the front entrance and Rossi's at the rear. Both men as team leaders where the second man in the stack up singling when the team was to breach.

"We're all set at the back entrance," Rossi spoke into his ear piece.

"Same at the front," Matt added.

"The perimeter is secure," Luke confirmed.

"Breach on three," Rossi told them. "One, two…" he tapped the lead man and breached the back door as Matt's team breached the front.

Across the town Tara and Spencer's teams met up at a larger home as well with J.J.'s team holding the perimeter. The night was starting to come to a close and they still had a few more houses to hit. Emily's team was going through local businesses like it was nothing and they were finding nothing. These last few houses were it and if they didn't find the Venturi boy's then it'll have all been for nothing.

Back across the town Rossi and Matt met at the center of the house. The only acknowledgment exchanged was that of a head nod as they headed for the basement door. They knew it was risky going in with only two guys but it had to be done. The game plan for this eventuality had been set before the night had even started and here they were. Both men stacked up next to the door and prepared themselves to go in. It was dangerous going downstairs because they were open targets for a solid five seconds. A lot can happen in that amount of time so they had to do this right. At the tap of Matt's shoulder by Dave he opened the door and they headed down. They kept low and moved fast hoping to keep the element of surprise on their side. Too late did they realize the house was a trap for both brothers lay in wait for the second they came out from the stairs. Matt was hit first with Rossi hurriedly ducking and dragging him behind a nearby couch. Bullets whizzed by their heads with the sound of gunfire almost deafening. They had underestimated one brother's military training and now Matt lay on the floor gripping his side in pain as blood seeped through his fingers and soaked through his gloves.

"Ahhh," he let out as he saw the bullet had gotten just under the vest.

"Staff Sergeant, you good?!" Rossi asked not wanting to reveal their identities to the two men. They seemed to have it out for their team and letting them know who they were shooting at might have made things worse.

"Yes Sergeant Major!" Matt told him as the bullet wound continued to burn.

Bullets continued to whiz by their heads and Dave would fire back over the couch every chance he got. Matt was at an angle where he was basically laying on the floor firing from the side of the couch. The two men were pinned down and there was no real way for help to get to them with how the Venturi's where positioned. They had a clear line of sight to the couch and the stairs, anyone trying to come down would've been shot and possibly killed.

"Damn it!" Rossi yelled as a bullet pierced the couch and his arm went numb. It was a through and through but Dave was having a hard time lifting his M14 now.

"You hit?" Matt asked him as he looked back a second.

"I'm fine, just grazed."

It was almost impossible to hear anything as the roar of gunfire sounded in the basement. Rossi took a chance and popped up from behind the couch immediately taking two to the vest and one to the leg before he took the younger brother down. Dave's leg gave out immediately and he groaned in pain, the two to the vest left him winded and feeling like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"John's down but I can't seem to see where James is holed up down here," Rossi relayed to Matt.

"Cover me!" Matt yelled back as he began to crawl across the floor for a better angle.

Dave immediately layed down cover fire and when his M14 was finally out of ammo he switched to his M9.

"I'm in position!" Matt informed him through the earpiece they were wearing.

"Copy that. Do you have visual on James?"

"Affirmative. I have visual!"

"Take the shot! I repeat take the shot!" Rossi let out as soon as he saw Jame stand to get a better line of sight on the both of them.

Matt fired off five rounds and watched as James crumbled to the ground. Both Rossi and Matt stood cautiously and slowly made their way over to the body. Dave leaned on a shelf as soon as he could see James and John were dead, his leg no basically useless and his breathing labored. Matt sat down on the bullet riddled couch still clutching his side and let out a sigh of relief.

"10-13 officers down," Rossi called into his mic. "Suspects found and dead," he finished before he too sat on the couch.

"Well that could've gone better," Matt joked.

" _The Soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the Soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of War." ~ Douglas MacArthur_


End file.
